WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women combined; and

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Maine; and

WHEREAS, one in twenty men and one in twenty-four women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetimes; and

WHEREAS, there are now more than one million survivors of colorectal cancer in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the speaking of French is an expression and affirmation of a people's cultural identity; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine is named after the Province of Maine in France, and the towns of Paris and Calais owe their names to the capital city of France and the French port city of Calais, respectively; and

WHEREAS, more than one third of the population of Maine is of French and Canadian descent and Franco-Americans in Maine have contributed much to the beauty and quality of this State; and

This week, I signed a bipartisan supplemental budget into law. That budget provides meaningful help to Maine nursing facilities, Maine’s hospitals, small businesses, and others in need of immediate relief.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Every other year, the Governor and the Legislature craft a budget that will guide our state over the following two fiscal years. Our current biennial – or two-year – budget ends on June 30, the last day of the state’s 2023 Fiscal Year.

But the biennial state budget, like any good plan, requires occasional fine tuning as circumstances change. That’s where the so-called “supplemental budget” comes in. This supplemental budget takes any surplus revenues – as we have this year, generated from strong economy and prudent fiscal management – and puts those funds to use for Maine people.

This year, it involves investments like $25 million in state and federal funds for long-term care and nursing facilities to make sure older Mainers are taken care of. And another $25 million to support Maine hospitals as they continue to recover from the extraordinary costs of the pandemic.

The supplemental budget also extends an initiative from my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to help small lower the cost of health insurance for employees. After all, small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we need to help them survive and grow.

The supplemental budget also includes a one-time payment averaging $175, the equivalent of one-percent cost-of-living adjustment, for 37,600 retired state employees and retired teachers, helping them deal with increased costs.

And the supplemental budget includes $50,000 for the Maine Milk Commission to assess the cost of milk production, and $10 million to go toward the dredging of Portland Harbor.

Finally, the supplemental budget authorizes the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services to increase the rate of pay for those attorneys who are rostered from $80 per hour to $150 per hour as part of a larger effort to attract more attorneys to represent indigent people in criminal and child protection cases.

I am grateful to this Legislature for its strong bipartisan approval of this emergency supplemental budget.

As I’ve said before, my guiding belief as Governor is that the foundation of our economy is our people.

This supplemental budget, just enacted, makes meaningful investments in Maine people and Maine businesses – and it does this while maintaining a balanced budget, as the Maine State Constitution requires.

In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to working with the Legislature to craft a new two-year budget, a biennial budget, for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 that improves the lives and livelihoods of Maine people.

Last month, I offered a balanced budget proposal that will do just that, by investing directly in education, housing, healthcare, roads and bridges, and giving money back to the towns and cities and to the property taxpayers without raising income taxes or sales taxes, and without touching our record-high savings, or Rainy Day Fund.

I am confident that this administration and this legislature can and will enact a balanced, bipartisan budget that is truly worthy of the people of Maine.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, invasive species can have a devastating impact on Maine’s natural environment, including bodies of water, forests, and vegetation, and also pose risks to human health and infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, state agencies, lake associations, land trusts, and soil and water conservation districts are dedicated to managing invasive species populations in order to prevent and lessen their impact on Maine’s people, small businesses and natural resource based-economy; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine holds over 300 million dollars worth of unclaimed property, consisting of money and other financial assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a certain period of time; and 

WHEREAS, for over four decades, the State of Maine has received millions of dollars a year in assets from entities who cannot locate the owners of these assets and is committed to reuniting these assets to their rightful owners; and

This week, I delivered my 2023 State of the Budget Address to the Joint Convention of the Maine Legislature.

I was pleased to report, to them and to you, that our state stands on a strong fiscal footing, that we are prepared to weather whatever economic challenges may come, and that the state of our budget is strong.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

According to the independent, nonpartisan Revenue Forecasting Committee, the State of Maine anticipates a total of $10.5 billion in revenue over the next two years, and $11.6 billion in 2026 and ‘27.

These strong revenue projections are the result of economic growth created by Federal support, and deliberate policy and financial choices we made in State government to fuel our recovery from the pandemic and to create the conditions necessary for sustained economic growth.

Over the last four years, our Gross Domestic Product—which is an important measure of economic growth—has increased at the 9th best rate in the country. Even when adjusted for inflation, Maine people are earning more than they were a few years ago – and wages are up about 8 percent. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 3.8 percent, and thousands of new businesses are being created across the state of Maine.

Despite this good news, we know we face real challenges. Even with a strong influx of new residents, we face an alarming shortage of workers.

Well, my guiding belief as Governor is that the foundation of Maine’s economy is our people.

That’s why my biennial budget proposal invests directly in Maine people and in the most important things they need to live and work in Maine.

The budget proposes continuing my free community college initiative for another two years, building more housing and strengthening Maine’s health care system, investing in behavioral health and in services for older Mainers, and in an improved child welfare system. And the budget makes an historic investment in infrastructure to unlock new sources of Federal funding to fix our roads and bridges.

My proposal is balanced. It lives within our means. It does not raise taxes, and it maintains our record-high Rainy Day Fund to protect us against an economic downturn.

In addition to discussing my biennial budget, I also announced a series of actions focused on tackling some of our biggest challenges.

First, I announced that I’ve directed my Energy Office to develop legislation requiring that 100 percent of our electricity come from clean energy sources by 2040 – reducing energy costs for Maine people and creating new jobs and career opportunities.

I called upon the Legislature to pass – and I pledged to sign – a bill that would end chronic homelessness in Maine by expanding the so-called “Housing First” model statewide.

And I announced that in addition to historic resources in my budget for prevention, treatment, and recovery for substance use disorder, we will work to address the opioid crisis and the closely linked scourge of child abuse and neglect, by:

1. Increasing Maine’s purchase and distribution of naloxone by 25 percent.
2. Doubling the number of OPTIONS Liaisons – those folks who join law enforcement on calls related to substance abuse and connect people to treatment and recovery services.
3. Working with the Maine Child Welfare Action Network to develop a new comprehensive plan to keep children safe by keeping families strong.
4. Expanding the number of family recovery courts that work with parents struggling with substance use disorder across our state, and
5. Creating new district court judgeships—four of them—to work through the backlog in the Courts caused by the pandemic.
    

Maine has real challenges, but we also have a plan in the form of my budget proposal and the actions that I have proposed to address these challenges.

I look forward to working with lawmakers of both parties to enact a strong, bipartisan budget worthy of the people we serve, and one that addresses our most pressing needs.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and I thank you for listening.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

I believe that the State of Maine and our nation have a sacred obligation to take care of our veterans who’ve served our country and our state so well.

But for too long, many veterans have lacked access to the healthcare that they need and deserve.

That includes access to oral health care, which is often called a “window” into overall health, because of the vital role that dental hygiene can play in preventing other illnesses.

Well, today, fewer than 15 percent of veterans receiving health care through the VA are eligible to receive comprehensive dental care.

An analysis of CDC data in 2021 nationwide found that veterans are more likely than their civilian counterparts to experience significant dental issues. Veterans are also less likely to have visited a dentist in the last five years compared to the rest of the national population.

Well that’s why in 2021, I launched the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, in partnership with Northeast Delta Dental, and participating dental clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers, to provide dental services to Maine veterans who cannot otherwise not afford them. 

This is an initiative from the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services and Sarah Sherman in particular, and I’m so proud of this undertaking.

Last year, the program enabled 357 Maine veterans to access comprehensive dental services – many of those veterans were seeing a dentist or dental hygienist for the first time since they had separated from the military. But overwhelming demand on this program meant that funding was exhausted before another 232 applicants could receive the care they need.

Well, this week, I was pleased to announce that thanks to a generous $200,000 grant from Northeast Delta Dental, the Maine Veterans’ Dental Network will continue its services for veterans in need.

Funding is available on a first come, first serve basis for any Maine resident veteran who is not otherwise eligible for VA dental benefits or who doesn’t have dental insurance, and who can’t afford to pay for dental care out of pocket. Care is available at 22 different locations from Biddeford to Madawaska.

Veterans who are interested may apply online by visiting: Maine.gov/governor/mills/veteransdental.  That’s Maine.gov/governor/mills/veteransdental.

If you do not have access to the internet, or a veteran you know does not have access and wants more information, please dial (207) 287-6836. That’s (207) 287-6836 – during business hours.

I am truly and deeply grateful to Northeast Delta Dental and to our Maine Bureau of Veterans Services for their incredible organizational work and generosity, that’ll allow this program to continue providing vital dental services to veterans across the state of Maine.

As someone who comes from a military family myself, I am deeply grateful for the service and sacrifice of Maine veterans and their families. My Administration will continue to do everything we can to improve services and to stand by the brave men and women who’ve stood by us in the past.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening. 

High energy prices – from the cost of electricity to home heating oil to kerosene – have made staying warm this winter difficult for many Maine families.

That’s why I proposed – and signed into law – a Winter Emergency Relief Plan to provide most Maine families with financial assistance to help ease the burden of increased costs.

This week, the State of Maine mailed the first 5,000 payments to Maine people – with thousands more to be distributed in the weeks ahead.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

We’re seeing higher energy prices because of the volatility of global energy markets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and because of Maine’s over-reliance on fossil fuels.

Nearly 60 percent of Maine families rely upon oil to heat their homes, compared to just four percent nationally, making us the most heating oil dependent state in the nation. Meanwhile, the New England electric grid, which supplies power to most of Maine, is also reliant on natural gas to generate electricity.

This makes Maine people especially vulnerable to price increases driven by the global energy market.

Maine needs long-term solutions to bring down the cost of energy and reduce our dependence on expensive fossil fuels – but right now, many of our neighbors urgently need help to stay warm as temperatures drop.

No one should be forced to make the impossible choice of heating their home, or putting food on the table, or paying other necessities. That’s why in December, I proposed the Winter Emergency Relief Plan to put money back in the hands of Maine people as quickly as possible.

And thanks to bipartisan support from the Maine Legislature, most people in Maine will soon receive a $450 check to help ease the burden of increased costs.

These payments follow the same model we enacted for your $850 inflation relief checks last year, so now an estimated 876,000 eligible Maine people will receive a payment – amounting to $900 for the average Maine family, or $450 per individual taxpayer.

Following this week’s initial mailing, checks will be mailed in waves of 200,000 payments per week. For more information, you can visit Maine.gov/EnergyRelief. That’s Maine.gov/EnergyRelief.

In addition to the $450 relief checks, the Emergency Winter Relief Plan also provides:

• $40 million to supplement the Home Energy Assistance Program; and
• $10 million to Maine Community Action Partnerships to deliver emergency fuel assistance and prevent people from running out of heating fuel; it also provides
• $21 million to bolster the Emergency Housing Relief Fund that I created with the Legislature last year that that prevents people from experiencing homelessness this winter.

In the months and years ahead, I look forward to working with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents in the Legislature to push for measures to bring down our energy costs over the long-term.

This includes diversifying Maine’s energy sources to reduce electricity prices and transitioning to more efficient heating and cooling technologies, and weatherizing homes. Policies like these will help our climate and will save you money, and keep Maine people warm.

Now, Maine people are used to harsh winters, but this weekend, Maine is forecast to experience an extreme cold like we have not seen in some time, with windchills as low as 60 below zero.

So please take extra precautions, be careful if you go outside, and please check on your friends, family, and neighbors to be sure they’re okay.

To find a warming center near you, please visit Maine Emergency Management’s website at Maine.gov/MEMA or dialing 2-1-1.

Please stay warm and stay safe this weekend.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, American history is an essential component of a complete and well-rounded education; and

WHEREAS, the study of history provides us a deeper understanding of our culture and traditions and connects us with events, people, places, and ideas of our country's past; and

WHEREAS, understanding our shared history allows us to make better decisions about our future, and to prevent repeating mistakes of the past; and

WHEREAS, Black History Month, previously known as Negro History Week, was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and first celebrated on February 1, 1926; and

WHEREAS, since 1976, it has become a nationally recognized month-long celebration held to

acknowledge and pay tribute to the contributions made by African Americans to the history of our country that for years were omitted by society and history books; and